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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. tear — to rip
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. land — ground
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. board — a committee
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. land — a country
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. board — to get on
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com